Two ‘Konkanis’ bag Sahitya Academy awards

Two ‘Konkani’ novelists bagged Sahitya Academy awards this year, one for English and another for Konkani.

India’s renowned writer Jerry Pinto, an original Goan settled in Mumbai, bagged the Sahitya Academy award for his English novel "Em and the Big Hoom."

Similarly, Edwin JF D'souza, a Mangalorian Konkani, was chosen for the award this year for his novel "Kallem Bhangar" (काळें भांगर).

Incidentally, this is the second prestigious award Pinto won this year, after winning Yale University's Windham-Campbell Prize for the same novel.

The 49-year old writer-cum-journalist has to his credit also Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb (2006), which won the Best Book on Cinema Award at the 54th National Film Awards, Surviving Women (2000) and Asylum and Other Poems (2003).

D’Souza, known widely for his Konkani short stories which he also translates into English, had won Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi Best Book of the year 2013 and also Best Book of the Year 2013 from the Vimala V Pai Vishwa Konkani Award.

The Sahitya Academy today announced awards for 24 books, which include eight books of poetry, seven of short stories, five novels, two books of criticism, one book each of essays and a play.

The awards will be presented during a ceremony on February 22 next year.

Nasira Sharma's name has been selected for her Hindi novel "Paarijat", Gita Upadhyay for her novel "Janmabhumi Mero Swadesh" in Nepali and Kannada novelist Boluwaru Mohammad Kunhi for "Swatantryada Ota"

Aziz Hajini (Kashmiri) and Nizam Siddiqui (Urdu) have been recognised for their books criticism; Nrisinghaprasad Bhaduri (Bengali) for his essays and Swarajbir (Punjabi) for his play are also among the winners.

The awards were given for books published during January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2014.

The prize will include a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh.